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Article: CRUSADING FRANCE
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- March 10, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ALBI, France -- Compared with most French medieval towns, Albi
stands out like a scarlet poppy against a green hillside.
Instead of the usual gray stone, the favored building material
here is mellow-red brick, the same shape and color as that the Romans
used. And Albi houses are invariably roofed not with dull slate but
clay tiles of a deep, flaming red.
Under a bright southern sun, the sturdy brick houses along Albi's
web of cobblestone streets glow rosily, seeming to radiate good
cheer. No other French provincial town has quite the same cozy
ambience.
But nowhere in this engaging place are you ever out of sight of
the enormous, fortress-like Sainte Cecile Basilica. Meant to
intimidate, ...